The laundry list of very-public meltdowns nearly drove her to the edge. In 2001, the songbird infamously launched into a rambling rant and showed up at MTV's TRL studios in New York where she handed out popsicles to audience members wearing only a T-shirt on live TV.

Celebrity Meltdowns

But when she met her now-husband, Nick Cannon, she was able to overcome the personal demons she once thought would be the end of her.

"Honestly, I never thought I'd live this long," she said. "I always thought that I wouldn't be here at this point. I was thinking, 'Okay, I've got another year of my life left. This has got to be the end of it.'"

"Finally he was like, 'Stop talking like that.'"

Carey, who turns 40 this year, had a new album that dropped in September and is getting positive reviews for her role in the movie "Precious." She said she's now happy in her life.